While there's time left
by artsybeanpole
Summary: Everything is better together, and hopefully while you're the same age, so make it last. One shots and fluff thrown like confettii, angst likewise.
1. Don't Leave Yet

A/N: Fluff and wangst - they combine within me to create this trashy collection of one-shots. Enjoy?

Mary stood on her toes, straining to reach the top of the boy's raven head, sweat visible on her face as she struggled with the impossible task. Seto laughed, then bent down slightly, careful to make sure that the white haired girl didn't notice, and was rewarded with a bright grin on her cute pink lips.

"I did it!" Seto laughed, and picked her up and swung her around, to her excited squeals.

"Yup, you did!" Mary pressed her face into the crook of his neck, taking in his smell: he smelled, as usual, a mix of types, depending on which job he took up for the day. Today, it was a scent of blooming, flowery wood. He must of been working as a florist- he loved that place. She breathed in deeply, and sighed as she was separated from the pleasant scent as Seto plopped her down on the couch, and soon joined her, leaning his considerably taller and heavier body against hers. Eventually, the weight became too much, and his head gently lolled against her lap, his face tired yet attentive, that iconic plastic clip pulling away the hair framing his face.

Mary giggled as he gave her a sleepy smile- it was a comical scene, the tall boy resting his head on the small girl's lap, gangly legs all sprawled out in the sleepy summer sun. The girl relaxed her head against the cushions of the couch, the weight of Seto's head somehow comforting, and realized, with a sudden, dim shock, that he had grown so tall, so old, so quick.

Ever since that day, he had grown nearly exponentially, from that young, what, 6 to 7 year old boy into what he was now. He had changed- she could barely even touch the top of his head on her toes, with arms up, and on top of Seto's own purple converses too. He was a man now, and she was… she studied her pale, thin fingers with a kind of regretfulness. And she was still 14 years old, in medusa years. She compared her own small hands to Seto's tanner, larger ones-compared how his legs were long and lankier, his clothing, even, different from before. Seto stirred in her lap, eyelids fluttering. Soon, he would outgrow her, he would leave her, still young, still the same, for the far more interesting outside world. Mary gave out a laugh, realizing she must sound just like a mother, nervous for her beloved chicks to leave the nest. She traced Seto's sweet, childish sleeping face, with a small smile curling her lips.

When would he leave her? The very question pained her as she thought about it. "Seto…" she breathed out his name. She loved saying his name. It sounded like the feeling you get when you hear summer leaves rustling in the breeze. With a slight jolt and a flush to her cheeks, she realized that Seto was awake, his golden eyes staring through heavy eyelids against her own red pools.

He must have known what she was thinking about, because he lifted his hand up against her cheek, and lightly slapped it, and mumbled, "I'm not leaving you, Mary. You know that." Mary held his hand against her face, her heart twisting in her chest at the simple words.

Seto's eyes were closed again, but she whispered back quietly, her voice tangible with the feeling of holding back long held tears, "But I can't. We can't. You know that."

Seto was silent, but she knew that he was awake, and pondering her words. Seto suddenly got up, and, after a bit of shifting around, pulled her into a tight hug. Hot tears spilled from Mary's eyes, she couldn't help it. The steady, comforting warmth of Seto's chest and the way his hands were firm in holding her mess of a hair in a hug was something she never wanted to let go of. "Mary, I'm not leaving you." He whispered fiercely, resolutely, into her ear, after a while of Mary sniffling into his green sweater, his hands tightening against her apron. Mary felt so fragile, like she would break apart any second, in his arms. He couldn't let go. He wouldn't let go, until Mary started gasping like a fish for air, that he realized that he was holding on too tight. He quickly released her, but Mary clung onto him like he was a lifeline, urging him to stay.

"Seto...you know...you're my life, right?" She was still sniffling, but seemed stronger, which was a relief, because whenever Mary was near tears, it made him want to cry too. Seto stroked her hair comfortingly, letting it thread through his fingers.

"Yeah." He only let the word hang for a moment before burying his face in her hair, and mumbled into it, "But you're even more to me."

Mary giggled at the ticklish feeling of his resonating voice muffling words into her fluff ball of a head, and childishly retorted, "No, you're even more to me."

Seto plopped his back down on the couch, bringing Mary down with him, Mary's head rested against his chest. "Nuh-uh."

Mary pulled at the strings of his hoodie, and retaliated, "Yuh-huh." Seto chuckled, and tucked his arms behind his head, letting the breeze from the open window caress his face, the little weight of Mary's body still on his chest, and tilted his head to Mary, grinning.

"I'm not going to let you win, you know." Mary puffed out her cheeks in, what Seto thought, was the most adorable way ever, and took refuge by tucking her head into his neck again.

"But I do care about you," she muttered, her long hair tickling his exposed skin.

"Nope." Seto pulled her up, and pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "Because I love you more." Mary's cheeks heated up at the feeling of Seto's warm lips against her skin, and was speechless for a several seconds. Seto grinned widely at this response and got off the couch, Mary barely registering the movement, and had to grab at the couch to not roll onto the floor."See, I won!" He laughed triumphantly, causing Mary to jump on his back, making them both fall over to the floor.

Mary climbed onto his back, and Seto stood up, carrying her. "Since I won, I get to carry you around all day." Mary pouted, then buried her face once more into his hood, and rubbed her face in it, reveling in its heavenly scent.

"Fine with me."


	2. Nightmares

It was 5 in the morning, and Mary laid awake in bed, a thin layer of sweat coating her pale skin after the same nightmare again. She wrapped her blanket around herself, the thin shirt she was wearing too little to protect against the morning chill. She shuffled down to the boys' room, the door creaking open as she pulled it open a crack, praying that Seto was still there, searching for the lump in the covers that might resemble the tall boy lying inside. No such thing- of course he was gone, it was already past the time that he went to work. She shuffled down the stairs, to see the tables and chairs empty and sad in the dim morning light. She sat down in one, the sound of the chair across the tiles grating in the silence, and brewed herself some tea.

Chamomile, she realized, as she took a sip. How nostalgic. She took a good, long look around the room, the sound of the cup clinking against the table as she set it down. It was different now, she realized. No longer isolated, and no longer was she alone in the world, hated and pushed away from everyone. Now, she had the Mekakushi Dan with her, Kido, Momo, Kano, Shintaro, Hibiya, and...Seto. She wasn't alone anymore. Yes.

The dream ran through her mind once more, in her shock, disrupting the peaceful morning in a black and white flash: _screams, the terrified faces of her friends as the dark stranger advanced, laughing as 'bang' there went down Kano, shot through the head, a graceful fountain of blood spurting from his head, Hibiya's eyes wide as a truck sped into him, just like Hiyori, like Kido, who cried when the blood of her friends, Mary's friends, surrounded her, when 'bang' she was down too, and Seto, Seto, hands wrapped around him, and the stranger pulled him up and above and he was choking, choking, choking and fell to his feet, at Mary's feet, and the monster laughed and said, "It's your fault, all yours," and Mary sat down in the crimson pools, staining her dress, her head spinning and hurting-_

Mary stood suddenly, the cup crashing to the floor, the tea spilling a dark stain onto the carpet, just like the blood, like them, like the bullets that ripped through their heads. Mary cradled her head in her hands, her blood red eyes unseeing, and took heavy breaths, trying to breathe, her heart pounding uncomfortably in her chest, trying to remind herself that she was still here, everyone was still here except- her eyes darted to the door, where the comforting view of everyone's shoes piled up next to the door neatly, with only one pair gone, purple converses. Seto's. An image of Seto's terrified, pained face as the stranger held him up suddenly flashed through her mind, and she found herself walking, her feet moving fast, hurried. She bolted to the door, and grabbed the beloved coat Seto had given to her, and rushed out, carefully closing the door on her way out. Somehow, as she strode quickly down the hallway and the stairs to the florist's, the only thing going through her mind was the dim reminder that Kido would kill her for breaking the cup and the stain on the floor, then leaving mysteriously without a note.

It was only when Mary was sitting down inside of a train, waiting with her hands gripping her white apron tight enough that her knuckles themselves were the same color as the cloth, that she became fully conscious of what she was doing. Rather, more of why in the world she was doing this: sitting in a train, with people around her, suffocating her, while she pushed her way through, desperate with the sudden urge to see Seto, her bare feet stinging against rough concrete. And all because of a dream, not even of the real thing- she realized how foolish she was acting, but every time she remembered the familiar black shadow, the urge to see him and ensure he was safe grew stronger. Which was, she had to remind herself, was ridiculous, because Seto was, more often than not, the one who protected her. And yet...a chill went down her back. The train stopped with a gentle rumble, the doors opening, and a robotic, calm female voice emotionlessly echoed her destination. Mary noticed that people began to stand up and exit out of the sliding doors, she hurried out, her dress nearly getting stuck between the closing doors.

And so Mary was swiftly swept along a busy crowd, leaving her suffocating and in confusion. Everywhere, there was heat, loud noises, moving feet, the shifting of newly arrived trains, the sounds of multiple emotionless female voices, making her head spin. The outside was always so chaotic, which was why she absolutely refused to go into the outside, the polluted air and heat muddling her mind, leaving her lost. She could feel tears well up in her eyes as she realized that even though she was doing this to help Seto, what she needed right now _was_ Seto to guide her- Seto, with his reassuring smile, his large, warm hands tightly grasping hers, leading her along confidently in a crowd. She was so useless- she couldn't even go outside, anywhere, without needing to depend on Seto for it. Had she always been such a burden to him, to everyone? She hiccuped, pressing her palms to her eyes, rubbing furiously. No crying now. It was her choice, without Seto, and she would find him, without having to be a burden. Would he proud of her, when he saw her come to his job alone, all by herself, without his help? Would he not need to care about her anymore? Mary decided to stop thinking, and pushed fruitlessly away from the crowd, wandering blindly in the busy streets, searching desperately for something she couldn't find, her feet bleeding and cut now from all the feet trampling over it. She winced, and leaned against a wall, closing her eyes, trying to bear the pain.

Would Kido be angry at her for leaving, making everyone worry? Would Kano laugh at her again, his eyes flashing as he lied it was fine? Would Momo fuss over how she dirtied herself again? She couldn't help it, she crawled into a ball, her feet scratching painfully against the pavement, small spots of blood smearing on the pavement, and hid the sight of the bustling city behind her curtain of white hair, and she suddenly remembered the spilt tea on the carpet floor, and felt her eyes blur in vision, tears splattering the cement in little dark puddles.

'Stop crying,' she scolded herself. 'You don't deserve to cry. Stop crying.' It wouldn't stop, couldn't stop, the flow of hot tears down her cheeks. The bell from the shop beside her tinkled cheerfully as it opened, then there was sound and dim 'thud' of bags as the bags fell from the person's hands, then there was a sudden choked exclamation of a familiar voice, "Mary?!" and she was looking up, and there was Seto, his face shocked with worry, goods from the grocery bags spilling onto the pavement, and all of a sudden she was hiccupping again, the tears running down her face faster than ever.

Seto quickly crouched down and examined her feet, which were severely cut and bleeding, dirtied by walking outside barefooted so long. More importantly, what was she even doing outside, in the city, by herself? And without anyone to accompany her either, which was strange, as Mary definitely couldn't handle the city all by herself, meaning that she must've not let anyone know when she left. Seto brushed the tears away from Mary's face with his thumb, and heaved the helpless, sobbing, smaller girl onto his back, deciding that the groceries could wait- Mary was first priority.

"Sorry…" Mary sniffled, rubbing the tears away on his hoodie. "Sorry…"

Seto simply pulled her legs up, they were slipping down his sides again, and gently asked, "What's there to be sorry for?" The girl hid inside her hair, which, Seto knew, was a sign of her not wanting to show her face.

"Everything." She had meant to say it louder, but somehow, the words came out soft, the ashamed feeling still bubbling painfully in her chest. Seto was quiet, trudging forward up the next hill, to the train stop, Mary panicking. Maybe he didn't hear her? Or he did, and hated her now? She buried her face into the back of his neck, emotions in turmoil, her heart racing uncomfortably. The silence between the two wasn't what it usually was- it was a rare tension between the two, a stifling silence that made Mary want to die.

"Mary." He was saying her name, softly, gently, in that way of his. Just hearing him, feeling his warmth next to her, and thinking that she wouldn't experience it again, made her want to break down and crawl into a ball again.

She curled her fingers tightly against his back, and her voice cracked, "Yes?" Seto was looking forward, as he always did, his shadow cast on her not letting her see his face, though she wasn't exactly sure if she _did_ want to see his face.

"Mary, do you want to go to the forest together?" Mary nodded slowly behind him, and she could feel, rather than see, his smile. He pulled her legs up once more, and began running, sprinting down the street, Mary clutching for dear life on his back, Seto laughing, the wind splaying out their hair freely behind them.

The two of them were squatting, next to their (well, technically Mary's mother's, but they had called it their own over time) house in the forest, the sun casting a gentle orange glow on the front yard, Seto next to Mary, saying their thanks to Shion's grave. They stood, saying their final words, and laid down on the grass, reminiscing the old days.

"Hey, Seto." Seto could feel his eyes closing as he stared up at the darkening shadows and illuminated lights of the clouds swirling in the sky. He could hear the grass rustling as Mary turned to face him. "Do you remember?" Seto laid his hands together on his stomach, studying the way his fingers cast shadows along his sweater as his lifted them up.

"Of course." He was a still a kid then, 7 and a half, escaping from the cold, leery eyes of the city, and he had found Mary here, isolated inside a house for years after her mother died, being branded a monster. He visited, and visited again, lending her company in the loneliness of the forest, playing pretend, reading stories, telling her about the world in general, smiling at the way her eyes lit up at the mention of his own happy endings. The two laid there, lying on that grassy hill, turning over the precious memories over in their minds, the sun setting and casting lonely shadows across the grass, a chilly breeze rustling the leaves on the trees surrounding the house, the bark dark and old from age. Mary opened her mouth, and said clearly into the breeze, "I had the dream, Seto."

Seto managed to pull open his closing eyes, and paid attention to her words. "Mm?" Mary stared into the watercolor blendings of the sky's sunset, and half closed her eyes against the glare of the sun.

"It was one where everyone left me. There was a shadow, it was laughing as it killed everyone-Kido, Kano, Hibiya, Momo...and you." Seto inhaled the cool air, letting it fill his lungs, and breathed back out as he turned over to face Mary, who was facing the sky, the bright red pools of her eyes shining in the light of the sun.

"I was afraid. You weren't there." Seto stared at her, sadness twisting in his chest. He knew the feeling, of being left alone all of a sudden by one of the most important people to you.

Mary took a deep breath, feeling her eyes welling up, and continued. "I went to look for you, Seto, in the city. I was afraid that, if I didn't look for you now, you would disappear, like in the dream." She held out her pale hands into the bright rays, the thin shadows of her fingers outstretched making dark outlines on her face.

"But, I got lost." She closed her hand, her fingers curling bitterly into her palm, tears shining in the sunlight. She shut her eyes tight, and laid the back of her hand against them, and whispered, "And I thought, 'I'm just being a burden.' And then, you came, and-" By the time Mary had finished the sentence about her being a burden, she found herself being enveloped in a tight hug, and the scent of burnt wood and newly blooming flower buds overtook her senses, the warmth and firmness of Seto and his green sweater surrounding her.

"Set—" He simply hugged her tighter, pressing her face into his chest, and laid his head on her own. Mary could hear his steady heartbeat and the heat of his skin through the thin cloth, her own heart skipping a beat faster.

"Mary, you aren't a burden. You never were a burden. Everyone in the Mekakushi Dan loves you." Mary relaxed against his sweater, and hugged him back, her tiny hands grabbing fistfuls of the back of his sweater, and pressed her face further into the cloth. "I know, but I just…" She sighed, and her hands relaxed, letting the cloth spill from her fingers, then recollect again. "I thought that, if I tried to be independent without you and succeeded, then, maybe, you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore, and—and you wouldn't have to have me make you help me out for every little thing, and…"

Seto's arms were nearly suffocating her now, with how tight he was holding her. "Mary." Before she realized it, she suddenly felt her tears wetting his sweater again—he must've noticed.

"I love you." Mary stopped moving, stopped breathing, as soon as the words left Seto's lips, and in an instant her face felt like it was on fire with the amount of heat slammed into it. She looked up at Seto, her face glowing red, and stammered, "W-w-wh—"

"I love you."

He repeated it out once again, boldly, his golden, confident eyes meeting hers, though his face was tinted a slight pink as well, and said it over and over again, loudly, holding Mary tight so she wouldn't escape. "I love you, I love you, I love you," until Mary felt like she would melt into a puddle from all the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"S-Seto, stop!" She pushed him away after struggling, her hair a mess, and her face bright red. Seto paused in his tirade, and Mary panicked, thinking she had hurt him, stammering, "N-no, I meant, I-" Seto cut her words short and picked her up, to the shocked squeaks of Mary, into his arms, and said, looking at her straight in the eye, "No, I won't."

Mary could only stare, mesmerized by the now burning red in his eyes, her mouth slightly agape in surprise.

"H-Huh?" Seto began to walking to exit the forest, and Mary, flustered, began to panic again, grabbing desperately to his shoulders, though not in fear, for she knew Seto would never hurt her. He looked down at her, and a ridiculous thought crossed Mary's mind that he looked quite handsome with the way his raven locks swept around the shadows that the sunset cast on his face, his eyes unnaturally bright and clear in the shadow he cast on her.

"I won't stop, until you get it through your head that I love you." There was a short pause, from then Seto quickly stammered, his face red after realizing what exactly he was saying, "T-That everyone loves you, Kido and Kano and the rest, I mean, too. Not just me. That's what I meant." Mary felt incredibly conscious the moment he opened his mouth again, and the familiar distance between his body and hers felt, all in a sudden, very, very heated and awkward. She quickly released her hands from his sweater, nearly falling, and stammered back, "O-of course. I knew that." The boy cleared his throat, both of their faces painted pink now, and continued onwards to the now dying down noises of the city.

"You are now arriving xxxxx station…" The female voice calmly announced their destination, yet the two couldn't quite find a way to pry their bodies off of the now very comfortable train seats, their eyes already closing.

"You know, Kido's going to kill us," Seto said, on their journey back, Mary's head already lolling against his arm.

"Mm," Mary sleepily nodded, her feet wobbling tipsily. Seto yawned, but bent down anyway, to carry Mary once more on his back to the apartment.

"Hey, Seto." The boy turned his head back a bit to receive the girl's words properly.

"Yeah?" Mary's eyes were fully closed now, her face the picture of peace, and mumbled, "I love you too." He felt very awake now, his ears burning, and, against his usual better judgement, tried to shake Mary awake again.

"M-Mary? Wait, Mary-" Before he could try anymore, the door slammed open, revealing a demon, Kido's eyes burning in rage.

"Seto." Seto gulped.

"H-Hi."

She stared him down, and somehow Seto realized that hoodies looked very dangerous at the moment and he should probably wipe that ridiculous happy look on his face off right now.

"You have some explaining to do."

A/N: I re-read the first chapter and what _is_ flowery wood? Does wood even flower? "Oh let's go see the flowering wood on Valentine's day," like that? "My wife really liked this flowery wood on her last birthday too?" Mary's standards are out of this world hahaha see what I did there because flowery wood doesn't exsist ok im sorry that was so bad


	3. Cherry Blossom Viewing

A/N: It's one of those days when I post an unnecessary amount of chapters in one day instead of doing something productive. I've also realized, whilst writing yet another one of these chapters, that there's a lot of sensual hugging between these two. Maybe I should rate it T for sexy hugging times (every other chapter for you perverts lmao). This is actually the one chapter that has no wangsty Mary or Seto. Just pure fluff, but no sensual hugging (haha you're dissappointed aren't you NO WAIT DON'T PRESS THE BACK BUTTON YET WAIT).

It was a rare day off for Seto, and the sun was sleepily casting gentle rays on the pair, Mary reading a brochure that she had randomly found near Seto's workplace the other day, her back comfortably rested against Seto's legs while he dozed, half-asleep, on the sofa, arms crossed. Mary flipped through the pages, the summer sun leaving her body sluggish and slow, especially in the afternoon, until her eye caught a rather interesting article on the last page.

"Hey, Seto." The tone of her voice jerked him awake- it was the voice that she used when she was interested in something but was trying to play it off as casual.

"Mm?" He peered through half-closed lids at the brochure she was reading-cherry blossoms, huh? He chuckled, and crossed his legs around Mary's body, trapping her. He then leaned down to pluck the brochure out of her hands, to the surprised squeak of Mary, and began reading off the small text: "Cherry blossom viewing, February 16th! A perfect time to enjoy a lover's embrace under the petals! Rumor is, if you go there with your loved one, your love will last forever." Seto raised his eyebrows at Mary, whose face was considerably reddening as he progressed onto each word. " Mary, we can't go, though." The girl pouted and turned her face away, her fluffy cream colored hair hiding her face.

"Why not?" Seto laughed, and lightly smacked the brochure against her head, offering her an amused smile.

"Well, it's already summer, you know? And besides, I don't think we need flower petals to 'seal our everlasting love.'" Mary flushed in embarrassment at his straightforward, now obvious words, but only gave out a soft "harrumph" and further turned her head away. Of course Seto would think it was childish- that's why she didn't want him to see. Noticing her disappointment, he decided to swiftly finish his sentence, pretending not to have noticed, "...our love is strong enough anyway. We don't need flowers to prove that, right?"

Mary didn't look up, but he could tell her mood had went lifted from the way that her shoulders lifted. Seto let out a soft laugh at how obvious she was, but Mary, noticing the sound behind her, hurriedly returned her shoulders to their sulky position, determined not to let him win.

"W-Well, I still wanna go though." He grinned, and simply pressed a kiss on the top of her head.

"If you want, you can stop by on my shift and see the flowers yourself, ok?" Mary nodded, and hugged his legs, tilting her head up, Seto's face so close to hers after the kiss. She felt the sudden urge to kiss him, and, leaning her head up just a bit more, pressed her lips against his for a second, the heat of his lips pressing against hers, and returned to contentedly reading her brochure, leaving behind a stunned and reddening Seto.

"Mhm. I can't wait."


	4. Jealousy

He didn't like it.

Seto didn't know what it was, or the feeling that was constantly brewing in his chest as of late, but he wasn't sure that he liked it. Watching Mary chatter animatedly with some other stranger (that wasn't him, but he tried to avoid that fact in order to avoid strangling the stranger in question) about the beautiful flower arrangements (that he had done) and the stranger (who was, to Seto's deep displeasure, a young high schooler boy) obviously sharing her love of them (and all this while he was right across the room! Couldn't she just talk about them with _him_?), left him irritated and with that unpleasant feeling in his chest.

He was being unfair and too judgmental, he knew that. Isn't this what he wanted? Isn't that why he brought her out into the city, to show her how humans, too, can be caring and kind? Besides, Mary was enjoying herself without needing him to help her into these kinds of situations. 'Without _you,_ ' a nasty voice in his mind sneered, which he immediately pushed away, in fear that his old thoughts may start cropping up again. Mary, he knew, could take care of herself, after all. And yet…

He didn't want to admit it, but he hated himself instantly in that moment. What kind of hypocrite was he? He led her out into the chaotic world, urging her to socialize, and now that she did, he wanted her back because he needed _her,_ and he wanted (yes, he wanted) her to rely on him too. He wanted to help, to simply be _there_ for someone, especially someone like Mary. Years of building up this relationship, this intimacy with the small, albino girl, and to see it stolen away by some stranger in a matter of minutes, even in a simple conversation, made him want to tear his, the stranger's or his, he wasn't sure, throat out.

Working at the florist's, which was usually his favorite job out of most of them, and with Mary occasioning there, usually was the highlight of his day. Just sitting there with his favorite person and talking the day away, surrounded by his favorite things: flowers, nature, the bright sunlight filtering out of the window of the shop, and of course, Mary's bright smile.

Which she was currently sharing with the stranger as she pointed excitedly to a pure white rose that he had meticulously placed there, because it reminded him of Mary.

Seto could have legitimately said that if he had a pencil at that very moment of time, he would've snapped it neatly in half.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could dimly notice a faint flush of surprise on the stranger's face at the expression, and laughed cheerfully back.

10 pencils, 20 pencils, 100. Any number of pencils, it didn't matter, Seto would've broken them then and there. (And probably have thrown them like ninja stars at the stranger's body, but that he tried not to mention).

Jealousy? No, no, he convinced himself. Protectiveness of a younger sister, that's all it was. And yet his finger tapped impatiently at the table, in a fast, stressed rhythm: _tak, tak, tak_. Mary talking to the guy in the other side of the room, so far away, smiling, pointing to a book, her eyes bright as always. _Tak, tak_. Mary and the stranger, their shoulders pushed together, as they read through a page, their faces only inches away. _Tak, tak, tak_. The light blush that went to Mary's face the hair of the opposing boy's brushed against his face. _Tak, tak, tak, tak_.

It irritated him a lot more than he would let on, to Mary, to anyone else, even himself. The feeling in his chest bubbled, brewed, spilled over the top, and he begged it to disappear, this feeling, to leave him alone, to let him be happy.

If all he wanted was for Mary to be happy, and he wasn't happy when she was so obviously happy right now, because of this feeling, he didn't want it. The feeling urged him to stand up, and he did. _Stop it_. The chair he was sitting in scraped loudly against the wooden floor as he pushed it away. _You're not allowed to do this_. He took long strides, his sneakers making little sound as they moved forward, one after the other. _Let Mary be_. He was looking down on them, now, Mary looking up at him curiously, confused. _Mary deserves to be herself. If others can appreciate her the way you do, then isn't that good enough_? He took Mary's hand, gently urging her to her feet. _Isn't that good enough_? Seto pulled the two of them outside of the shop doors, the bell signaling their leave with a gentle ring. _Let her go, Seto_. As Seto stood there, with Mary, his hand around her wrist, his eyes staring into her confused red ones, with her next to him, he decided that he couldn't. He couldn't let her go.

"Seto?" Mary, so confused, Mary, her eyes so innocent. "It hurts, Seto." He realized how tight he was holding her, and quickly released her wrist, horrified at his actions, apologizing, "I'm sorry." Mary smiled at him, her face kind yet confused, and slightly worried. Worried, at his actions? Because of him? The idea, deep down, made him scared. He smiled at her weakly, but his fear was like a restricting snake at his neck. He couldn't lie, say it was ok. "Sorry."

He dropped his eyes, ashamed of himself, and rubbed his hand against his eyes.

"Sorry." He could feel Mary's hand touching his arm, her voice filled with gentle fear for him.

"Seto?" He rubbed at his eyes, surprised to find them wet with tears. "Seto, did you want to talk?" Talk. Here was Mary, comforting him out on the street, because he had jealousy issues concerning some boy he didn't even know, and she was asking if he wanted to talk. He couldn't help but choke out a laugh through his tears- the roles had changed already, so quickly, before he had realized it.

"Yeah. Ok." He sat down on the bench directly outside, watching the streets rush along with busy, talking people with their briefcases and cell phones and fancy shoes.

"Who was that boy?" The question was blurted out of his lips before he knew it-the curiosity was too strong. Seto panicked internally- what kind of opening question was that? This wasn't what he had planned to say: shouldn't he have apologized for dragging her so unceremoniously here while she was obviously in a conversation? Or shouldn't he have started out with some subtle, interesting question about her yaoi doujinshis or so such

He could feel sweat pour down his face in buckets while Mary stared at him with an undecipherable expression- disgust at his terrible conversationalist skills, maybe?- as he quickly searched for a way to repair his mistake, and was about to blurt out another stupid remark before he was interrupted by Mary's laughter, bubbling like small stream, out of her lips. Seto could only stutter helplessly, his embarrassment growing more and more by the second, his face burning red at how hard she was laughing at his awkwardness.

"Sorry, sorry," Mary coughed, trying to retain her serious look. "It's just that, you look so awkward it's cute." She gave him another bright smile, giggling, making his heart skip a beat more, while he desperately tried to convince himself that he was only blushing because of his embarrassment, that was all, nothing else, really. He stammered out, trying to regain his dignity (fruitlessly), "I-I just want to know who your new friend is, is all. I'm proud of you."

He winced instantly, the words sounding so false, and...new friend? That feeling twisted painfully in his chest, jeering, 'Liar, liar, you're a liar and you know it.' Mary looked uncomfortable all of a sudden at his words, and rocked a bit on her heels, twisting so her hair hid her face.

"Well, you know, he's…" Seto looked up at her, to see the edge of her flushed cheeks and nervous glances into the store. He felt a kind of stone settling in his chest, as if a pit had opened up in his stomach, and the feeling died down, all he could say was a dull, "Oh." So that was what it was.

He stood up, ready to go back in, reminding himself dimly that his shift was still on. His footsteps paused as he felt a tug on the back of his sweater, hardly enough to stop him in his tracks, but he did anyway. He prepared a fake smile to hide the emptiness inside him, and cheerily turned around.

"Yes?" Mary stared at him, the saddened look on her face threatening to break his heart further into pieces, and she slowly let go.

"No, Seto...that…" Seto smiled, his eyes, to Mary, barren of the usual love it held.

Mary could feel her fingers slipping off of his sweater, overcome with fear and anxiety at this strange, new state of Seto- was it her? What had she done? As Seto turned to leave, his hand on the doorknob, she found herself desperately grabbing back onto his sweater again, holding it together as if she let go now, she would never see the same Seto again.

"Seto, wait." Her voice was pleading, scared. Seto was unresponsive, and Mary felt words rush out of her mouth in desperate explanation, just wanting Seto to turn around again and look at her. She stumbled over in her brain, wanting to alleviate the strangely tense situation, and yet, it ended up with Seto asking, quietly, "Am I being too selfish, Mary?"

Feeling, rather than hearing, Mary shocked silent, urged him to continue, and turned towards her, resting his head on her shoulder, and murmured, squeezing her own hands in his own now, "Is it too selfish to want you all to myself?" Mary fell silent at his words, turning them over in her head, and simply squeezed his hands back, staring up at the clear sky.

"No, it isn't." She sunk her fingers into Seto's hair, marveling at how soft it was as she threaded out the strands from one another, watching the hair sift out through her fingers like water. She nuzzled her head into his hair, breathing his scent in, and said again, "No, it isn't."

Seto laughed softly, a pleasant, low vibration into the curve of her shoulder, sending shivers down her back.

"Is it really ok to leave that guy hanging in there while you comfort me again?" Mary held his head against hers, and replied, lightly pinching his cheek with the hand she held his head with, "You're top priority right now, you know that."

Seto rubbed his face into her apron, and mumbled into it, "But I want to always _be_ your top priority." Mary felt her cheeks heat up, ever so slightly, and giggled. Seto looked up, red faced.

"W-What?" Mary couldn't suppress her grin at his embarrassed face.

Heh, nothing. It's just that, that's what I want, too." Mary turned an equal shade of red at these words, and both quickly turned away in a hopeless attempt to calm their pounding hearts.

Seto scooted over and leaned his considerably higher head on top of Mary's, and they both sat like that for a while, watching people's shoes hurry on by the streets.

"Hey, you know," Seto said, suddenly, when the crowds had calmed down a bit, "I'm missing my shift, and you left that guy hanging inside the store, too. He's probably left by now, you know." He said it rather half heartedly, though, and neither of them felt the particular need to leave their comfortable spot as of now.

Mary yawned, stretching her arms out, "Let's just leave them be. I like this better." Seto chuckled, and lightly flicked the side of her forehead, to the whining of Mary. He leaned his head further into her fluffy head, nearly making her topple off of the bench with his weight.

"Life doesn't work that way, Mary." Mary pouted, but simply retorted, "I don't care. As long as it's with you, I'll make it work out."

The feeling in his chest was still there, but it felt different- fluttery, like a kind of pleasantly nervous anticipation for what's to come. Somehow, he couldn't find the heart to argue with her, because in the end, he knew that he would have to eventually agree, and besides, he knew that he already did, anyways. The sun was setting over the horizon, the dim sound of train signals and the sleepy sound of summer cicadas was echoing nostalgically around them, and Seto, after missing the second half of his job shift, at 6:48 in the evening, he found himself absolutely content.

A/N: I've been procrastinating a lot lately haven't I hahaha (what of course my chapters haven't been uploading suspiciously fast for no reason whatttt). I was originally planning for a cute, more possessive Seto to come out by writing this, but it ended up with more angst but I know that's what you come for unless you actually come for the hugging on couches and sitting areas but thAtS fINE . w.,)


	5. But what if it was different?

"Seto, I got cut."

Seto lifted his head up, his eyes sunken and exhausted, but immediately flamed up as Mary's timid voice echoed from the kitchen.

Though it had been scarcely a day after the incident with Kuroha, everyone was still injured, mentally and physically, resting before their celebration. He rushed over, taking her small hands in his, his tanned hands examining each pale finger gently, until he saw a small bead of blood on the top of her fourth finger.

Seto could feel laughter bubbling in his throat, and insane flood of emotions coming out as a stream of loud, good-hearted laughter that boomed throughout the quiet house, probably startling everyone out of their well-deserved rest.

Mary pouted, slightly embarrassed by his reaction. "Seto, I'm serious here..." Seto tried to tone it down, because he probably looked like a maniac, cackling crazily over a medusa's fingers because why? Because paper cuts were suddenly the most hilarious thing in the world. It was crazy. A paper cut, at this moment, was the most relieving thing by far he had ever experienced his entire life. He was still chuckling weakly, sputtering, trying to form words, instead, he brushed off the bead of blood on her pale skin with his thumb, replaced instead with a tear plipping onto her fingers.

"Seto?" Her voice sounded so concerned-so _real,_ so _alive,_ just pure confusion and worry, nothing else, not fear, not wanting to cry because of watching everyone she cared about die in front of her eyes, made only more drops falling onto her palm in response, his laughter bringing tears to his eyes, falling, slipping off her fingertips. Seto could barely raise his head from her fingers, stroking away the blood beading at the cut again, her fingers, reveling the soft warmth flooding from his fingers into her's. He was still laughing a little, and brought both of her hands together, the warmth against his face melting away his hystericalness.

He decided to simply press a kiss against her fingertips, and smiled up at her, bright as the sun, and confessed, "I love your fingers." Mary, who had reddened from the surprise kiss, flushed further, the warmth from Seto's kiss still sinking into her skin. "Wha-what? Huh?"

That's how it would be, Mary thought, as the day was approaching, and she sat, replaying images in her head. Maybe, it could be different. It always was.

But maybe, not this time.

 **A/N: I honestly spent like 10 minutes writing this and all it ends to is Seto being like, "Mary your hands are the best hoho (Lenny face)" I just based this entire thing off of, one day, thinking, "What if Mary were seme?" And so how half of my fics are made had been revealed.**


	6. Present

Today was Seto's 12th birthday, and Mary knew she couldn't afford to mess this up.

Today was the day, Seto had promised his last visit, that he would bring Kido over with him, and they could go see the city together, and maybe, if she wanted, go visit their apartment.

"But, what about my present?" She asked desperately, her plans falling apart in her mind- the cake, and the decorations? He simply laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. I just want to spend the day with you." She must have still looked worried, because he added with that reassuring smile of his, "Think of it as your birthday present to me, ok? I want to, and you wouldn't normally do it, right? So I think it's perfect."

Of course by then she couldn't say something like, "But if it's you, I'd go everyday." Rather, more like she just couldn't refuse his bright smile at all in general.

So now, instead of busily setting up ribbons and baking Seto's favorite foods, she was sitting nervously at her table next to her window, trying to read a book she had read millions of times, craning her neck out of the window every so often, barely absorbing the next word before her fluffy white head peeped out of the window 5 seconds later.

Seto's sibling... Mary fiddled with the edge of the page, staring aimlessly at the rustling trees outside, her feet nervously tapping against the floor. She didn't know what to say, what to feel, how to feel. It was, in a way, a nerve wracking, excited, anticipating kind of feeling, a new kind of emotion she wasn't sure she was ready for.

A new kind of emotion she never would have felt if that brave boy had never knocked on the door to a strange little house in the woods.

 _"Think of it as my present."_ Mary stared at the words on the paper, her mind drifting to when he had excitedly told Mary of his grand plans to visit the city with her. He should have just finished it already, " _as_ _my present for you."_

Why did he have to keep thinking about her? Why did _she_ have to keep thinking about this? As if he were the older one rather than her.

" _I promise, you'll have fun."_ He said that everytime, when she was afraid to walk out the door of the house she holed herself up in for at least a century, when he opened the door, and now, to the city. He couldn't keep holding her hand forever, but he did, and he promised to, until she was ready.

But how could she? What was there to even be ready _for?_ She had finally gotten something she cared about again, and that was Seto. She had even planned out what she would do for his birthday, and the last 5 ones, every year, sitting at that table, blowing out the candles, that was her life. Now he was taking that, and giving it back. " _My present for you."_ Today, she would be blowing out the candles, and he would be the one enjoying it more than her, like an adult watching a child progress a little more, as she bitterly counted out the years it would take for her to grow older.

12 was the first of many years. 12, 13, 14. When would he grow tired of her? When would he let go, and say, "It's time to grow older," and he would be old, so old, and her still 13?

" _My present for you."_ It was ridiculous- _he_ was her present. He gave her something to live for, he gave her the chance to feel more, he gave her _more_ chances to experience more. He was the hand that she took. Could she really be the same? Grow older, and maybe, be that hand for someone else?

Someone else. In the...city?

"Mary!"

The ravenhead outside had spotted her white hair in the open window, and grinned up from the gate, a girl wearing a hoodie, strangely, in the heat, a red jacket's neck pulled up to her chin, her eyes darting up to meet Mary's figure.

Just once, this one chance Seto had given her, she could try to be her own hand.

She could make her own choice, do something new on her own. With Seto. With Kido, with Kano, everyone that Seto had told her about. She could do new things, with everyone, and they would need to grab each other's hands sometimes, but they would be moving forward. Everyone, all together.

She hurried down the stairs, hastily pulling on her hoodie, gently pulling the door shut, and prayed to see it again someday. She turned, the wind blowing her wind back, Seto and Kido waiting. Seton beamed at her, as if seeing her made him the happiest in the world, as soft yet as bright as summer.

"Ready?"

For the first time, Mary took her own step forward, gripping the jacket tighter, the wind gently ruffling her locks, framing her face, and beamed back. "Let's go."

This time, as she walked out with the two of them, she decided, then, how she could convince them to let her stay all together in a little apartment, as the 4th member of the Mekakushi Dan.

A/N: Heyo~ I'm pretty sure no one reads this part (or the story hahaha *cri*), but my chapter uploading will increase it's decreasing. Or just the time span it's uploaded. Most other SetoMary stories I'll probably make aside from this particular one. This doesn't really have much to wait for, though, just a lot of oneshots. I'll still upload on this one, just maybe really kinda really maybe not as much.


	7. A bit longer

'A little longer.'

That was what he had said, laying on his hospital bed, his suntanned fingers looking so frail as she clasped it in her own, tears slipping down her chin onto the stretched skin of his knuckles.

"Seto, I have to go." Her voice was wavering so much she could barely choke them out of her throat, her hands trembling, barely able to hold his. "Kido said that she-"

Seto's hands simply squeezed her pale hands, smiling in that bright, same grin of when he was 7 and stumbled upon a young girl in a blue dress in a forest. "A little longer," he promised, catching her watery eyes and giving her hand another reassuring squeeze. "Kido's errand can wait."

He hadn't changed at all-the same smile, the same eyes, the same person. He had aged, old, older, but inside was the same Seto who she had met decades ago. That Seto held her hands in his right now, no matter how old or frail or different he looked, and she had to say it again, before she could regret it too much, "Seto, come on, you'll-"

He simply waved her words away with his hand like a summer breeze, and flashed her another smile. "I know." He sighed out all his years in one breath, and stared regretfully out the window. "You know, I just...want to spend it with you."

It wasn't fair. Mary's voice was more wavery than she had wanted it to be as she said, "Seto, I can't, you need to rest, and Kido-"

"Mary, look at me."

It wasn't fair at all. Mary refused to lift her eyes from his hands, the tears falling hot and faster than ever. She didn't want him to stop talking. She wanted to be next to his warm, gentle voice forever. The sight of his worn fingers only made her vision blur more.

"Mary, come on."

She hiccuped, her nose running, barely able to breathe when she saw his face- her hair was a mess, her face was a runny watery mess, _she_ was a mess, and Seto didn't deserve her in this state when he was sitting, old and frail, holding her hand through everything, even at this time. The blurry brown and blue and white of him and his hospital gown seemed to change to that familiar green jumpsuit, his smile clearer than ever.

"Mary, don't worry about me. I've rested for a long time now."

"No, you haven't. You deserve a break after all that work you've done for us, for all the work and smiling you've done for everyone." She wanted to say it, but all that could come out was her blubbering, tears and sniffling as she trembled, desperately trying to hold onto his fingers as if he would slip away. He chuckled, and she could feel his warm fingertips brush away from her's, and brush away her tears, her head trembling at his touch.

"I'm sorry, Mary. I wish I could have stayed longer."

'Just for a little longer.'

Her eyes cleared, just as his golden ones dulled, sighing all of his years and memories with everyone together in a single breath, and Mary could feel her eyes blur over again, his fingers slipping down her face, warm tears dripping down cold fingertips.


	8. Welcome Back

Seto stumbled through the once familiar forest, occasionally tripping over tree roots and small potholes that he didn't quite remember being there before.

It had been too long, Seto cursed himself, his foot catching on a spare tree root. He had been so busy with working and helping with their new living arrangements ever since Ayano had died, his head had been wiped completely of the 1/4 medusa waiting expectantly in the woods for his broken promised arrival.

He had convinced himself, at the time, that Mary couldn't fit into this new life, that he would have to forget about her, and eventually, she would too- she had lived for over a century, he was sure she could manage on her own without someone like him.

He had managed with this lie for maybe half of an hour before he ended up realizing that even if Mary didn't miss him, _he_ certainly did, and ended up not only missing Mary, but his shift. Well, at least he wouldn't be turning into Kano anytime soon.

He lifted up a curtain of vines, an immense feeling of relief washing over him at seeing the small house nestled in a small cluster of tall trees. He ran into the closure, slowing at the wooden door, calling desperately up at the open window, "Mary! Mary, I'm here! Sorry I'm late!"

Maybe she couldn't hear him? He cupped his hands, a small seed of panic growing when the albino girl didn't answer. "Mary? Mary!" Did she leave the house? No, it couldn't be, not after her mother. Unless...

"Mary!" He ran furiously to the back of the house, to the grave, his head swishing both ways, searching wildly for her small figure, until he say her small crouched figure placed next to a stone with long dead flowers, her white locks flowing down her back like a waterfall, curling around a bed of dark red flowers.

Seto swore that he had never sprinted so fast in his life, barely registering Mary's shocked face when she turned to the sound of thudding shoes on grass, leaving the grass to tackle the small albino girl.

Mary flailed desperately under him, terrified, as he breathed hard, holding her close to his chest. "You're safe. Thank god," he sighed, his arms tightening around her thin waist, the incredible softness of her hair sinking under his fingertips. Mary could barely pry herself off of him, spluttering for breath, her pale hair sticking out in all angles, her startled red eyes searching for his face under her mess of hair. "Eh? W-Who-?!"

Seto beamed at her, holding her shoulders, reveling the softness of her hair flowing over his hands and her small body in his arms. She simply blinked at him through her hair, her pink eyes terrified, still batting at his arms, struggling to get out of his embrace. "W-Who are you?! Get away!"

Something died inside of Seto's chest as she wiggled in his arms, trying to get away, her eyes terrified, _Mary_ being terrified of him. Had _she_ forgotten about him first?

She managed to get an arm out in his stunned weakness, wriggling her legs out to escape, but Seto held her close, desperately looking into her eyes, grabbing her escaped wrist, her head twisting to look at him."No, no! Mary, don't you remember? Don't you remember _me_?" He pleaded, feeling like if she didn't remember him, after so long, he wasn't sure if he could keep living this way. Her wrist trembled in his grip, his intense gaze desperately searching hers.

Her breath fanned shallowly onto his face, her red eyes dulling, calming, her white hair shifting and spilling over her shoulders with each heave. Seto held tightly onto her wrist, for he felt sure that if he let go he would lose this only chance. He stared determinedly into her eyes, waiting tentatively for her to use her eye ability and leave him.

It wasn't like it wasn't fine with Mary to forget him. But he couldn't afford, he couldn't live, to have her leave _him._ This new life, living with a stone cold Kido believing she could do everything herself and leaving everyone behind, a Kano that always left, coming back late at night, his eyes flashing red everyday, Mary was all that he had left that stayed the same- coming back here, the trees the same, the same weather, the same map, Mary's age, even, seemingly never changing, greeting him every time with the same smile, and now, at his refuge, she had finally forgotten about him. It had been too long, and now, changing himself to believe the same, he had to pay for it. This was his last chance. But if Mary didn't remember, he was afraid he would miss it, the days of sitting on her lap after getting hurt by the bullies, playing pretend, ignoring the fact that nothing ever changed.

But now it did, and they had all been convinced it had been for the better, and yet, all that had happened was heartbreak, pain, stress, false dreams broken, and no time for anything and everything and that was to be their life from now on? Was it even worth living? But he had forgotten, in his pain, that Mary was still here, living but barely living, the same everyday, the one change, a small brave boy, gone, abandoning her to be alone once more. What did _she_ have worth living for?

Looking at Mary so close but so far, having to hold her close, to look her in the eye, desperately pleading, "I need you to live," Seto almost laughed bitterly at the irony of it. He really was worthless after all, he supposed. Maybe, if he let go of her wrist, she would run away. He wasn't really the "Seto" she knew anymore, anyway. Even if he was, who would want him like this? Selfishly holding onto a girl from a year ago because he was tired of living. It was just a loose, lame excuse that wasn't worthy of any sympathy.

His hand faltered at her wrist, and she flinched, but didn't move, quickly averting her eyes from his. He laughed hollowly, his arm moving to scratch the side of his head. "Sorry for pressuring you. I'll...go now." His knees creaked, as he stood up, briefly dusting off his jumpsuit before hardening his heart to leave the forest for the last time.

Suddenly a tug on his sleeve stopped him, and as he turned, a slowly dawning recognition was settling in her brightening pink eyes. "Wait, I..." Her eyes lit up suddenly, and brushing her bangs out of her face with one hand, she suddenly pointed at his face and exclaimed, "Seto!"

Before Seto had the time to react, the small girl leaped into his arms, squealing happily, nearly strangling him with her once weak arms. He choked, trying to hug her back, while her arms tightened around his neck, the soft, flowery smell of her hair overloading his senses, her feet dangling a few inches off the ground, her body swaying dangerously as she (tried) to whirl him around, her cheeks pink and eyes the same as the ones that had excitedly received him whenever he visited. "Seto! I can't believe it! Where've you been? You just disappeared, and-"

Suddenly she pouted and glared at him, trying to look intimidating, which, Seto had to supress a laugh at, was, to be honest, a very honest but adorable try at looking angry. She loosened her hold and nearly toppled to ground-it seemed that she hadn't noticed that he had grown taller again, wobbling on her feet for a few seconds before trying to assume the same angry mother look again, pointing a finger at Seto's terribly disguised laughing face. "N-now look here, I- woah!"

She wobbled dangerously, her bare feet slipping on the ground, to which Seto jumped to action to catch her, white hair streaming. "Careful!" His hands barely reached the back of her ruffled apron in time before she touched the ground, her eyes shut tightly closed for impact, fluttering open hesitantly to see Seto's shadowed, worried face hovering an inch over her's. She blinked, while Seto looked at the ground worriedly, then at her bare feet. "What are you doing out here, anyway? I thought you said you didn't want to go outside anymore. And besides-"

His eyes returned to her face, and she quickly looked away, the tips of her ears a bit red, stuttering a bit as she pushed him away, staggering to her feet again, nervously brushing off her dress, refusing to look at his face. "S-sorry. It's just, um..." She covered half of her face with her hand, her hair falling over part of her face, her eyes still shyly looking away. "You, uh... I noticed...you got...tal...a h-hair clip."

She coughed a little, staring at her house, her hand still hiding her, Seto could've sworn, when he looked closely, pink cheeks. He suddenly felt awkward as well, the recent remembrance of his holding her down and looking at her in the eyes for a full 5 minutes suddenly felt like a terribly shameful and disgusting act to do- that's right, he wasn't the same age anymore. His cheeks warm, he held his hand, the slim feeling of Mary's wrist still tangible in his hand, and pointed to the house. "Well, let's go."

A/N: It's August 15 so you know what that means. It means another chapter update at 8:15 at August 15. Or 8:21 PM but that's close enough. It's not a very well thought out ending, but I felt obligated to do something this day (it only happens once a year woah such rare) so I thought about it and then this jumped out of my uterus


	9. Leaving Again?

"Leaving again?"

Kido raised her eyebrows at him over a a home catalog, Kano coming out shortly from the kitchen, holding 3 cups of coffee in one hand (Seto's was spilling all over the place), and laughed, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly at Seto, placing the cups with a loud clank onto the plastic table, earning a glare from Kido.

"Oh, don't worry, I bet he's off to see his _girlfriend_ again, right Seto?"

Seto's cheeks reddened, pulling his hood up as he always did whenever he was flustered, and turned to the door, stammering, "I-It's- We're not like that!"

Kano's eyebrows shot up to his bangs, his hand pausing at half raising Kido's cup up to his lips (Kido proceeded to pour Kano's cup onto his holding arm, but was 'ignored' with a flash of his red eyes), his grin widening. "Woah, she's real? And I was just guessing! Maybe I have your power too?!"

Kido's face looked sour, apparently having taken a sip out of Seto's cup, since her's was taken by Kano, and Kano's cup as a weapon, but she managed to look up, her face stoic as usual. "I don't think that's so surprising, it's not exactly like Seto's repulsive like you, right?"

Kane's fake offended splutter was swiftly ignored, her eyes returning to Seto, offering him a small smile. "Whoever she is, she's one lucky girl. She had better take care of you well, though, or she'll find the wrath of the Mekakushi Dan is to be feared."

Seto managed an embarrassed smile, and rubbed the back of his head. "No, no, she's not like that. Actually, she said that she'd love to meet you guys, she just can't get out of her house much...or at all, really. Well, actually, she's isolated from all civilization. B-But! She told me that it was fine, that she was planning to muster the courage and-"

Kano raised an eyebrow at Kido, who was smiling a little beneath her magazine, Seto still flusteredly rambling, his hands playing with the straps on his hood, a glowing, bright look on his face every time he mentioned her, gesturing every once in a while.

"Oh, and she said that y- hey, why are you guys smiling?"

Kano grinned, his elbow resting languidly on the side of the couch, waving his hand for him to go on. "Haha, nothing~ Please, continue."

Seto hesitated, then decidedly sat on the couch across from the two, graciously taking the almost empty cup from a thankful Kido, and continued eagerly, his smile shining over the rim, "She said that even though she misses her mom a lot, seeing me really cheered her up, and I was blushing a little, because no one's ever said that to me before, so..."

A/N: I think it's fair to say that Kano and Kido probably knew more about Mary before she came than she'd ever like to know. Not really a Mary and Seto centric chapter, but I just want to write a fresh young in love Seto rambling about his wonderful 1/4 medusa waifu and how her favorite animal is the frog (tall ones lol). My angst is slowly diminishing in these stories, but don't worry, it'll be back soon hahahaha so will the sensual hugs, just you wait.


	10. Married Life

"I'm back!"

Mary peered at him over the edge of her book, and burst into a bright smile. "Welcome back!" Her voice accidentally rose an octave on the last word, and she reddened, ducking back behind her book once more.

He dropped his bag on the floor, and pulled up a chair, leaning over next to Mary's book. She smelled a bit like herbs and chamomile, he thought, and she leaned a little closer, the heat of her body warming his shoulder. He had to clear his throat a little before he asked, "What's it about?"

Mary's pink irises shot up to meet his, and quickly directed back to the book, her ears tinted red. "H-hm..."

He felt a smile on his face as she pursed her lips, her feet waving beneath her. "It's, uh..." her face brightened, and she nodded, "About a lonely princess who wants to read a lot of books, but she can't because the evil prince!"

He raised his eyebrows at her and he faked hurt, pressing his hand to his chest. "So I'm the evil prince?"

She looked startled, and shook her head vigorously, taking his hand away from his chest with her small hands. "No, no! You're definitely not the mean prince! You're...uh...h-hm."

She mumbled into silence, her face progressively reddening with each second. He grinned at her- he really shouldn't be teasing her this much, but honestly, she was too cute. He leaned closer, cupping his ear. "Hmmm?"

She blushed deeply, and tried to push him away with the hand that was holding his wrist. "N-nothing...!"

He leaned closer, his breath on her neck, and she flustered weakly, and his voice chuckled playfully into her hair. She giggled, and pushed his head onto her shoulder. "It tickles..."

His hands lifted to wiggle at her sides, and she shrieked, trying to assume an angry face. "S-stop...!" He tickled her sides, and the giggles tumbled out of her mouth, and she lightly hit the top of his head with the book. "Hey, hey, just because we're married now doesn't mean-hey!"

She had all but nearly fallen off the chair, laughter bubbling out of her mouth like a fountain, and he ignored her protests until she began gasping for breath. He gave her a shit-eating grin and she glared at him, face red and shoulders heaving.

Mary righted the chair and crossed her legs, pouting. "You really are the evil prince after all." He hummed and nestled his head into her soft, soft hair. "Mm."

His arms tucked under her legs and picked her up, and his eyes flashed at her mischievously. He marched her up the stairs, and she spluttered as he bent over to kiss her rosebud mouth. "Well," he said, leaning down again for another kiss, "you looked like you were enjoying it, though."


	11. Goodnight Kisses

It wasn't really like they hadn't slept together before, it was just that Mary was asking for (and, guiltily, getting) too many good-night kisses for her own good.

"Mary," he whispered, a little desperately, tilting his chin up and away from the attacks, and the heat of her pink lips missed and landed on his jaw. "Mary, please? Mary-"

He was trying to push her away without actually touching her which was, needless to say, unproductive, especially since her pale fingers simply sunk tighter into his shirt and, unable to reach Seto's mouth, instead landed on his exposed throat, earning a little strangled breath from Seto.

He could barely peer over her fluffy white head bent over his neck to see the red blink of 1:20 on the clock, and then, seeing her original target back in sight, he was occupied once more as the curtain of white and chamomile captured his lips.

"Mary," his voice came out a a little more strangled than the gentle firmness that he was looking for, and his hands finally pushed her shoulders and something else that was not her shoulders away, "Mary, it's 1:20."

She sat on his chest, and he couldn't seem to move his body to get up, though Mary's weight was on par with feathers. He had to trust that she hadn't frozen him and managed to look up into the gleaming pink of her eyes.

Defeated, she slumped down next to him, and sighed a little against his collarbone, and he had to repress another little strangled breath from escaping his lips. She nuzzled into his shirt, and the shock of her cool hands grazed his cheeks.

Her mass of white hair rustled and turned up towards him, and Seto kept his hands tentatively rested on her waist, afraid to touch her. "I don't want you to leave," she said stubbornly, and pulled him down again, and his hands froze as they ended up again accidentally brushing against something that was not her shoulders.

Surprisingly, her mouth only landed on his cheek, and her thumb brushed under his eye. "I don't want you to leave me again," she explained, softer, the voice that Mary had that made it so hard to believe that she had been kissing him for these last 2 hours, and her rosy reds swirled for a moment, "so I wanted to make up for all of those lost moments in the last timelines here."

Her fingers still tingled on his cheekbones, and she sighed, as if exhausted, and nuzzled her white head into his neck. "I don't want to sleep," she admitted, and her thin arms wrapped around his nightshirt, locked together.

Seto let his arm fall over her, too, and his feet pulled the blanket up over the both of them. "You don't want to dream?" he asked her, gently, and she shook her white head into the crook of his neck.

"I want to stay awake with you," she corrected, and pressed a final sloppy kiss against his chin before drowsing away into his chest.

A/N: iM bacK wiTh thE sexY hugging aRE you sATisfiED (well kind of I guess, since this'll be my last chapter). I can make this my good deed/accomplishment for the day/year (same thing? maybe). If you actually stuck to this to the end, I know who you are haha i love you beautiful noodles ( . w.,)/


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